A retired priest and her husband say that their lives have changed beyond belief after coming into contact with the gasses emitted from Withyhedge landfill site.

Reverend Patricia Rogers and her family have lived in Wolfscastle for the last 14 years.

Last year she was running 5km park runs in a credible 39 minutes but now finds herself reliant on two different asthma inhalers and exhausted, with no energy to complete even simple tasks.

Reverend Rogers and her husband Richard often drive home from Haverfordwest via Hayscastle and the coast road to avoid the landfill odours on the A40.

However, early last month they were on the A40 and believe they must have driven through a dense patch of gas by the Corner Piece pub.

“We were driving home laughing at something and suddenly my eyes started burning,” said Rev Rogers. “I began coughing and choking I didn't know what was happening at that moment. “Richard continued driving us home although he was coughing too. I struggled to breathe fully and realised I was having an asthma attack.”

That one encounter with the landfill gas has had life-changing effects.

Rev Rogers said that her asthma, which she has managed all her life, is now extremely severe with her having to take 12 puffs of a preventative inhaler a day as well as eight daily puffs of a symptom relief inhaler.

She is also having to take up to eight paracetamol daily and has just completed a course of steroids and a course of antibiotics.

Rev Rogers says that since being exposed to the gasses being released from the Withyhedge site she has suffered from extreme breathlessness, a continual hacking cough which causes nausea, mild but frequent nosebleeds, continual headaches and mild but disruptive bouts of vertigo.

Rev Rogers has also lost her voice so can no longer lead worship or sing in church. She is suffering with weeping, irritated eyes and has no sense of taste or smell ‘eating is like chewing cardboard’ she said.

Her inability to breathe well is impacting her sleep leaving her with no energy to complete even simple tasks during the day.

She is a relief carer for her disabled daughter and finds that her symptoms mean that it takes her at least twice as long to complete the personal care tasks needed.

“This disrupts our daughter’s daily routine, and due to the lack of available carers I have no choice but to continue,” said Rev Rogers. “Her wellbeing is now being impacted.”

She added that even leaving the house to walk the dog now necessitates her carrying both inhalers and a phone and using paths other people are likely to be on ‘just in case’ she has an attack.

Rev Rogers 80-year-old husband Richard who is also a member of the clergy, is also using an inhaler for the first time in his life.

“Following just one significant exposure to the gases being caused by the Withyhedge Landfill, my life has changed beyond belief,” she said.

“I have little choice in what I do, which is galling as I have worked hard to stay fit and well to enjoy life in this stage.”

She said that at her weakest ebb she truly believed that she was drawing her final breaths and has now included a letter to the coroner in her final paperwork in case she dies from any breathing related disorder.

“This is not a flight of fancy given the severity of what is happening throughout the county,” she added.

Rev Rogers said that until the problem with the gas from the landfill has been resolved she and her husband have decided to stop paying council tax.

“My husband and I have little power to change these things but we have decided to withdraw payment of our council tax,” she said.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) issued Withyhedge site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday, April 18 after the April 5 deadline to stop the odours had passed.

NRW said that work was underway to remedy the problem but that strong landfill gas odours had been detected in the villages of Poyston Cross and Crundale last week.

The regulatory body said that that the remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time. NRW is currently carrying out weekly visits to the landfill site.